talks between pro-russian rebels and kiev are called off amid more violence in eastern ukraine. i'm jane dutton lye from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. at least 49 people are killed in an explosion in a mosque in pakistan. strong worlds from the leader of hezbollah. feeling trapped. al jazeera gets a real look at what life is like for residents living in iraq's second largest city which is now under the

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control of isil. ♪ pro-russian rebels in ukraine say at least seven people have been killed in the eastern city of donetsk. a spokesman for the rebels says the attack of a cultural center also wounded 23 people. the ukrainian defense ministry says five of its soldiers also died in the fighting. france and poland have called for an immediate ceasefire and urge russia to stop supporting the rebels. >> reporter: i'm here at a cultural center the site of at least two attacks here in donetsk today. we have spoken to witnesses who tell us the strikes hand around 1:00 p.m. they describe three missiles hitting this car park and the nearby buildings. they say there were hundreds of people at the time waiting to receive humanitarian aid.

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we have haern -- seen an escalation in the fighting in this whole region. in the last couple of days we are have been out near the airports and spoke to rebels who say they have no interest whatsoever in these trust talks and are determined to continue fighting. of course this comes on a day where there was a new effort to try to bring the various parties back to the table and ininitiate some sort of truce. the peace talks between the ukrainian government and pro-russian separatists were set to take place in the city of minsk, but have been called off. a blast killed at least 49 people and injured many others in pakistan. gerald tan has the details.

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>> reporter: chaos in the moments after. people around the area try to help the injured. they are loaded on to car, motorbikes rickshaws, any means of ferrying them for treatment before the ambulance arrives. it's a scene that has become all too common in pakistan. a shia mosque under attack. this happened in a southern province. the mosque was packed during friday prayers, when an explosion ripped through the building. the blast was so powerful that part of the roof collapsed, trapping people underneath. many people were killed and others injured. pakistan's shia minority have been caught in a recent wave of sectarian violence. just three weeks ago, a bombing outside another shia mosque killed eight people. shias make up a fifth of pakistan's population community

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leaders say the government isn't doing enough to ensure their safety and that attacks like this show they are a target. gerald tan, al jazeera. in yemen, the talks between factions -- groups to fill the power vacuum left after the president resigned have hit another snag. the southern block said it will pull out of talks to form a presidential council. >> reporter: after yesterday's initial optimism that came out of meeting between the different political parties, it seems they have hit a road bump pretty early on and that is the southern movement essentially they are a group of politicians, political figures and activists who rep sent the south of yemen have suspended their participation in these talks. the talks have essentially agreed as you say set up a presidential council.

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however, the reason why the southerners have withdrawn is because they say there's no point in these talks because they are taking place under essentially the -- at gunpoint. they say the houthi movement which is essentially run riot through sana'a through most of northern yemen, -- taking control of the capitol has put the president and his advisors under house arrest essentially, they are the ones in power, so as long as there is that imbalance in power, there is no reason to take part in the talks. a large part of the yemeni economy is reliant on the southern part of the country. so this will add more fuel to the fire in what is a very unstable situation here indeed in yemen. egypt has intensified its military operation in the sigh any peninsula.

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it comes after renewed violence believed to be the work of a work that has pledged allegiance to isil. at least 45 people have been killed including an army general. imran khan has the details. >> reporter: the force of the explosion can be seen from far away. on friday mourners flocked to the hospital where the dead and injured continued to arrive throughout the day. fight frers an armed group called sinai province say they are responsible. they have pledged allegiance to the islamic state of iraq and the levant or isil. the attackers used a barrage of rockets in a car bomb in the provincial capitol and a nearby town in four separate attacks. one journalist told al jazeera where the military base may have been chones as one of the targets. >> translator: what i have learned is that many were injured, and many of the civilians detained inside the 101 battalion werer is usly wounded.

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the battalion also houses prisons and detention centers for what the army describe as extremists. >> reporter: it is unclear whether the attack was designed to set free the prisoners but it is being taken very seriously by the government. the president cut short a trip to ethiopia and has returned to cairo. this attack is one of the worse since october when fighters killed 24 solders. after that attack the egyptian government insisted it had increased security measures even building a buffer zone along the border with gaza strip. and increasing patrols. hezbollah's leader says the lebanese armed group isn't afraid of war with israel. and has the right to respond to what he calls israeli aggression. he has been addresses thousands of his supports in southern beirut. hezbollah accuses israel of an air strike in the syrian side of

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the golan heights earlier this month. the flairup on wednesday was in retaliation to that attack he says. two israeli soldiers and a u.n. peace keeper was killed. >> reporter: one of the strongest messages came in his case he was making against israel. he said while israel targeted hezbollah, inside syrian controlled golan heights they have done nothing about the nusra front, which is also in that area of syria, and controls about 65% of it now. he even went so far as to accuse israel of having an open door policy towards them of treating their wounded. the other very strong message that he put forward was that the rules of engagement with israel are over. that hezbollah now has the right and the ability to strike israel anywhere any time that it

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chooses, and on any open front. he also said that there is a lot to learn from the latest round of violence. it had been much bigger than the usual confrontation, but still less than a war. >> translator: the operation took place when the israelis were on high alert. the israelis have been surveying and listening us to. they put all of their resources into this alert. the spies, intelligence telecommunications and have been watching every movement. however, hezbollah carried out this operation, and the israelis failed their army with all of their resources. >> reporter: he emphasized very strongly that hezbollah did not want a war with israel right now. but he did say that the group was not afraid of war. this will go some way to placating those people inside lebanon who have been concerned

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about where this violence was heading, concerned that it could drag lebanon into a war with israel. but hezbollah is still very much focused on the war and the fight it has going on inside syria. it has spent thousands of fighters into syria to fight on the side of president bashar al-assad. the international criminal tribunal for the formal yugoslavia upheld their convictions for the five men convicted of taking part in the 1995 massacre of 8,000 muslim men and boys. their sentences range between 13 and 35 years in prison a fifth man had his sentence reduced by one year. an assassin from south africa's apartheid era has been granted role he was known as prime evil for organizing the murder and torture of activists.

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he had been sentenced to more than 200 years in prison for the crimes he committed. tania page has more. >> reporter: he confessed to 100 murders, instances of torture, and fraud, as south africa's truth and reconciliation commission. he was known as prime evil one of apartheid's most brutal weapons. as commander of dhaet squad he was tasked with identifying, hunting and tilling anti-apartheid activists, and granting parole the justice minister said he was eligible for parole because he had served more than 20 years and shown remorse. >> public pressure did not form the basis for the decision that we made and that it was on effect of the evidence before us. >> reporter: the president

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supports the justice minister's decision, but on the streets of south africa there are differing views on the parole. >> translator: [ inaudible ] mandela created the reconciliation. >> no it's not good. looking at the many lives they have taken during the days of apartheid. so [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: his victims families were consulted, he has been helping police find the remains of those he killed but his parole is an uncomfortable reminder for some of how few were held accountable for the atrocities. he accused many generals and former cabinet ministers of having blood on their hands too, but at the time amnesty was offered as part of the new south africa and now he has a second chance too. tania page al jazeera.

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still to come on the program, the philippines hold a memorial for 44 soldiers killed in fighting with separatists rebels in the south. not the charm, mitt romney decides against running in the race to become the united states next president. ♪ person... i don't think i could be without it >> now, this trailblazer is opening the door for others >> i wanna give back to ballet what it's done for me... >> every sunday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america

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>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. the top stories on al jazeera, pro-russia rebels in ukraine, say at least seven people have been killed in the eastern city of donetsk.

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ukrainian defense ministry says five of its solders also died in the fighting. at least 49 people have been killed in a bombing at a mosque in southern pakistan. the explosion halved during friday prayers. around 30 people are delivered to be wounded. hezbollah says the armed group isn't afraid of war with israel as has the right to respond to what he calls israeli aggression. fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant have killed at least 15 solders in an assault south of fallujah. a suicide car bomb detonated his explosives. isil fighters have killed a

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senior kurdish commander and eight of his soerlsd in the northern city of kirkuk. dozens of people were injured in the violence. the kurdish forces known as peshmerga took control of kirkuk province in june when the irane army abandoned his positions there. al jazeera has gained a glimpse into what life is like for people in mosul. it was home to an estimated 3 million people. tens of thousands have since fled the violence there. it is considered strategic because of the nearby mosul dam. right now, kurdish fighters have control of the dam. the city is predominantly sunni, many of whom had become recentful of the shia dominated central government and welcomed

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isil fighters in june last year. but there's growing opposition to the group's rule. >> reporter: mosul is under the control of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. it has become almost impossible for its residents to leave, isil demands they provide a garn anner to. >> we cannot believe the isil guards refuse anyone to depart. they want us for human shields. >> reporter: they left the city when isil took over in june. the armed group has cut off most of the communication lines inside mosul, but the voices that do come out, speak of isil's harsh laws and hardships. >> there is food but there is

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no money, because there is unemployment. but we can -- we can still have hope that the liberation -- it is this hope that keeps us alive. >> some of the people welcome them but at the same time there are hundreds of thousands of people who were sitting home crying about the city. >> reporter: many welcomed isil fighters when they first entered in june. the iraqi army was seen as sectarian and accused of targeting sunnis. now there are reporting that opposition to isil is increasing. but videos like this one have been emerging showing this so-called mosul brigades targeting isil members. >> from august mosul brigades the one who -- like announced to fight isil in mosul.

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they have done more than 300 operation against isil. >> reporter: and outside mosul, mainly sunni volunteers from the city have been training for the fight. their role is important in any counter offensive against isil. the people of mosul may not want isil rule but they have had a bitter history with the shia-lead government forces. in jordan the army says it is working around the clock for information on a jordanian pilot held hostage by isil. it is demanding proof that he is still alive before going ahead with a prisoner swap. in a video isil has threatened to kill the pilot if an iraqi woman on death row isn't released. japan is also trying to secure the release of another hostage taken last year. chad air force have bombed

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boko haram fighters and driven them out of a northeast town they held for three months. chad sent hundreds of troops into cameroon to use the country as a base to launch attacks against boko haram. this man says the government has no problem asking the neighboring countries for help. >> the nigerian government has never -- never shied away or even pretended to say that it would not need the cooperation and support or even collaboration -- active collaboration of its neighbors in the fight against terrorism. that is why it initiated the move to get this coordinated action by all of the countries within the subregion, especially in the [ inaudible ] commission area to confront the insurgency which has come on to our territories and borders, but as the news was unfolding, also the

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nigerian soldiers have taken -- taken back other places. it is an ongoing effort that -- like i said -- leaded coordinated collaboration of all of us within the subregion, and like i also said there are other communities that are being taken back by the nigerian armed forces. we have consistently not shied away we have capability we human resources, we have initiated the joint task force which brought all of the countries, including chad to work together to work -- initially to fight cross-border crimes. how to tackle boko haram is one of the issues being discussed taking place in the summit. the au is setting up a multinational task force to try to stop the violence.

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elsewhere in africa the army in the drc troops won't be getting as much help from the u.n. as they thought. >> reporter: both the congoeze and the u.n. have said this will be a congolese operation with u.n. logistical support. the u.n. has a special brigade. it seems that brigade is now largely out of the picture. we have been told the congolese army only wants the support of the gun ships, but that is

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against the u.n. rules. these changes are likely to ruffle feathers in the international community. the u.s. and several other western countries have been pressuring kong go to begin the defense against the fdlr. now some of those countries will be asking why the u.n.'s fighting role has been dropped. the former u.s. presidential candidate mitt romney says he won't run for the white house in 2016. that despite comments made by the republican three weeks ago that he was considering a third campaign. romney was defeat by u.s. president, barack obama in 2012. allan where is he not running? >> reporter: well the simple answer is he is not going to win. he says he is ahead in all of the early states. that's true. he believes he has the money raising operation in position that's slightly true but the republican party have moved on.

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after he lost the last election it appears there has been a collective amnesia in camp romney that have forgotten how bad of candidate he was. he had one good moment which was the first debate against barack obama, but he lost in 2012, and lost heavily so the idea that he may come in and get another run at it seems fanciful. he thinks obviously with it being such a big field for the republicans if no one candidate emerges by the time of the convention, and they are looking for a unification candidate, then he says that he would step in but the chances of them being mitt romney on the ticket in 2016 slim to none now, i think. >> where does this leave the republicans, then? >> reporter: well it slightly strengths jeb bush because he was looking at the same dig

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donors that mitt romney was looking at. but it still remains very desperate. there's probably somewhere in the region of 13 serious contenders and people like donald trump and sarah palin who have said they are interested. so it still remains pretty contested. i think romney has one eye on his legacy as well. he ran in 2008 failed. ran 2012, didn't beat barack obama, now he could almost be a king maker, and a lot of the politicians will be looking for mitt romney's endorsement, simply because he remains a big name in republican circles. his name recognition is probably what is fuelling the lead in all of those early states so he is probably hoping he will have some say in who will get the nomination. germany has denied agreeing

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to cut greece's debt. tsipras has stopped private tiez initiatives since forming his government four days ago. he also wants up to half of the country's debt wiped out. a national day of mourning has been observed in the philippines for 44 police officers. they were killed on sunday. the family of those killed said the government failed to protect them. >> reporter: a somber farewell to heros. that's what philippine president called the 44 police officers who were killed last sunday in a fire fight in the southern philippines. >> translator: this symbolizes that they lived and died not for themselves but for the sake of the filipino people. we recognize their heroism, and their sacrifices and we offer our condolences to the family and relatives who cost their

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loved ones. >> reporter: his words offered little consolation to women like this who lost her husband. >> translator: they were left on their own. i could tell he didn't want to go on this operation. but there was nothing they could do about it because the order came from above. i'm not sure from who exactly. >> reporter: the police were meant to be serving arrest warrants for two so-called high-value targets who had been wanting for yeared for committing what officials call acts of terrorism. to do so the police had to go through areas controlled by rebels from the armed group known as the mlif. tlebls signed a piece deal with the government last year but say they thought police had broken the ceasefire and fought back in defense. things were complicated further by the presence of other armed groups in the area.

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government forces have been killed in so-called misunderstandings before but this is the first time it has happened since the country's peace deal was formalized last year. the deal's details including how to decommission rebel forces are still being fine tuned, but support for the deal and the establishment of an autonomous muslim entity is fading. the president has been criticized for appearing unsympathetic and not having any clear explanation or answers as to how this happened. he met familiar list at the memorial service, but was notably absent when the bodies were first brought to manila the day before angering many filipinos further by attending the opening of a car manufacturing plant instead. the grieving and the shock goes beyond that line of mourners. the government and the rebels

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say they want to stop the violence from spreading and peace to stay on track. but many filipinos say they are tired of seemingly empty words, finding it difficult to keep a clear mind when their hearts are heavy. ♪ >> the rwandan genocide began twenty years ago. in 100 days, almost one million people were killed. today, rwanda is thriving. as the president credited with stoping the slaughter and putting the country back together, paul kagame is also accused of brutally suppressing dissent. so is kagame a savior or a dictator? we sent journalist sorious samura to find out. >> for centuries the tribes of this country lived together without tribal atrocities, and nothing like the rwandan genocide e